MUSICAL E VENTS Fates and F avorztes O PERA may be a branch of the art of music and a varIety of drama, bu t it is also-at least in its effect upon many of its devotees-a kind of sport, and those who regard it as such have bee n exceptIonally conspICUOUS at the Metropolitan Opera House over the past cd month or so. Dur- ing this time, I have encountered more symptoms of com- bative emotion-cheers, boos, hisses, arguments, standees clutching their temples or wrInging theIr hands in the lobby between the acts, even minor scuffles-than had previously come to my attention in many years. On a re- cent evening, a group of Miss Zinka Milanov's partisans turned up wearing large buttons inscribed with the slogan "Viva Zinka!," and, as everybod} knows by now, there has been one authentic case of the hurling of vege- tables. The cause of it all, of course, has he en the appearance among us of Maria M eneghini Callas, a rather re- markable singer with, I understand, a highl) competitive approach to h r work, and I bring up the matter not In order to call further attentIon to inci- dents that have already been qUIte thor- oughly publicized but to examine such grains of justification as may lie behind this curious behavior. As far as I can make out, the rumpus stems mainly from the fact that Miss Callas' admirers have claimed for her a unique rank as a sort of world's cham- pion soprano, and her detractors don't think she deserves the title. I don't, either, but I must say that, to my knowl- edge, she has broken two records this season. On opening night, as I indi- cated at the time, she sang the only adequate Norma heard at the Metro- politan in thirty years, and by last week she had become the first soprano in the entire history of the Metropolitan to undertake both T osca and Lucia. These achievements, considered simply as athletIc feats, clearly have nothing whatever to do with such elusive mat- ters as taste and charm. Like any record in the field of sport, they involve pre- 139 Said a Portuguese tourist," Senhor, I have tasted fine port wine before, But thees Port Wine- California's-she's fine! Bom vlnho I Please pour me some more!" , . . ..J ;-- ..... ,....., """\ ;::; 1 \ . ? 5; t &1 '''J . ø ",""- v ....... '. " 1: t *' 'i.: "( .\. ,... ', -----'> -At "t ,i. )$i: l' \t.. ' ..... .: .__" 'S ) ,,' . r > v " <'/' 1__/ :i)/' ß/luud"J' p f t t '<.. .' '1:'>' > ., , \ .. ... "J,." :--=;: : ...,. "." j.."> . "0 vinho da California I" . Saudo, Senhor! Like America's true connoisseurs, you have discovered the world's most dependable fine wInes-the superb SHERRY, PORT, RED, WHITE, and CHAMPAGNE WINES OF CALIFORNIA. LIke you, the AmerIcan gourmet now knows, buys, and sips, the delightful gamut 1 of California's FINE PALE DRY or CREAM SHERRIES, her mellow RUBY, TAWNY or WHITE PORT... Not just any old port in a storm, Senhor, but the Port of California, where the grapes always ripen to maturity in the gentle climate, there is never a "vintage" problem, and every year is a fine WIne year' Now is the time for all good gourmets to bu} the fine wines of California! xiI, / , I f 1 f I 'r v... . .....::. ,:' ,;;;y.....' \, $ v. ". . .' t.... ;:;.::;:.. /' 0, t-. "\i . <i.., Y'" *- # . :.: '. :i:;::t. .' ...::......::...: )il:. ". :..: <.: ..... ....,;.,.:. ":< AL\iVAYS ASK FOR 1: ..e VVines Get this gay new" Home Fun" primer for wine beginners - it'8 Free! Address: WINE ADVISORY BOARD, DEPT. N-6 717 MARKET STREET SAN FRANCISCO 3, CALIF.